BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2 ROCHESTER, Minn. – The Augustana softball team will need to climb back up the bracket on Saturday after going 1-1 on Friday at the NSIC Tournament in Rochester, Minnesota. The Vikings won their first game of the day 5-3 over Minnesota Duluth before falling 6-0 to Minnesota State in a chance to move straight to the NSIC Tournament Championship game. The Vikings' loss snapped a 14-game winning streak, its longest of the season.
 
Augustana's record is now 42-5 while Minnesota State, ranked No. 17, is 37-7. Minnesota Duluth fell to 32-14 with its loss to AU.
 
Augustana's journey on Saturday begins with a noon first pitch against the winner of St. Cloud State and Winona State in the day's first game which begins at 10 a.m. In all, the Vikings will need to claim victory at noon before earning a rematch with Minnesota State at 2 p.m. With an AU win in the 2 p.m. game, it's a winner-take-all contest at 4 p.m. 
 
Game One: No. 1 Augustana 5, Minnesota Duluth 3
Kendall Cornick hit a home run in her first at-bat of the game to give AU the early 1-0 lead. However, the Bulldogs ran off three unanswered runs in the second, third and fifth innings to take a 3-1 lead.
 
It was a big sixth inning that turned the tide for the Vikings as the No. 1 ranked team took a 5-3 lead which would hold for the final score of the game.
 
The sixth inning was a total team effort as starting pitcher Amber Elliott earned first base after being hit by a pitch. Gracey Brink pinch-ran and was pushed to second base after a bunt off the bat of Abbie Lund. The duo each advanced a base due to a passed ball.
 
Mary Pardo then drove home both Brink and Lund on a single into center field.
 
With Pardo standing on third base, Cornick drove her home for her second RBI in the game giving the Vikings thier first lead since the top of the second inning at 4-3.
 
The final run of the game came off the bat of Abby Lien as she collected her third hit of the day with a double into right center scoring Bergen Lindner.
 
Ashley Mickschl came on for the seventh inning to earn her, and the Vikings', first save of the year. Elliott went six innings while striking out five.
 
Lien was 3-for-4 at the plate while six other Vikings tallied a hit. Cornick totaled two RBI with one coming off her seventh home run of the season.
 
Game Two: No. 17 Minnesota State 6, No. 1 Augustana 0
The Viking offense sputtered in the second game of the day, accumulating just three hits. Minnesota State jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third inning on a Sydney Nielsen home run. The Mavericks then added a solo shot in the sixth inning before tallying a pair of runs in the top of the seventh.
 
Augustana received its three hits from the bats of Torri Chute, Ashley Mickschl and Abbie Lund.
 
Mickschl was charged with just her third loss of the season while Olivia Hazelbaker pitched a season-high four innings while striking out four.